Hey Steve. The other variable here is your surname. Some surnames have very active projects and share their info freely. Some projects do not share much, and some projects are in an early stage. There are also many surnames still not served by a project. So - in a way - ... it depends.

In every case, you'll benefit from having your family's test results. It could be that someone has already tested - and you can simply locate them and see the implications. Often, you'll want to test your own family to get even more information.

And - every one of us has many ancestral surnames. DNA testing - and the sharing and cooperation that goes with it - can benefit you on many of your ancestral surnames.